Use of the Flowmaker (Jarvik 2000) left ventricular assist device for destination therapy and bridging to transplantation.

The Flowmaker left ventricular assist device (formerly known as the Jarvik 2000) is an axial-flow pump that provides continuous flow from the left ventricle to the aorta. Designed for either temporary or permanent use, the Flowmaker is undergoing clinical trials in the United States and Europe. The goal of this therapy is to provide adequate circulatory flow while partially reducing the left ventricular size and end-diastolic pressure.

Suppression of tumorigenesis and induction of p15(ink4b) by Smad4/DPC4 in human pancreatic cancer cells.

Purpose: The tumor suppressor gene Smad4/DPC4, a key transcription factorin transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta) signaling cascades,is inactivated in 50% of pancreatic adenocarcinomas. We seek to determine the role of Smad4/DPC4 in the suppression of tumor cell growth and in the regulation of TGF-beta-mediated expression of cell-cycle regulatory genes p15(ink4b) and p21(waf1).

Experimental Design: Smad4/DPC4 is overexpressed by adenoviral infection in CFPac-1 pancreatic cancer cells, in which the Smad4/DPC4 is homozygously deleted, and in Capan-1 pancreatic cancer cells, in which Smad4/DPC4 is not expressed.